Oh, Snap! Here Are The 10 Best Recipes For Asparagus, Ever

Thin, fat, green, white, purple — asparagus season is upon us! And guess what, they are the OG superfood! Asparagus tote vitamin A, E K, folate, selenium, fiber, magnesium, the list goes on and on. These spring-y stalks are one of the most nutritionally balanced veggies available, and the time is now to reap the rewards.

Asparagus aficionados say to look for thin and uniform stalks, pristine tips without flowering or limp buds, and prepare and enjoy right away, no storing! Yes, these are great guidelines, especially when you are choosing to prepare your asparagus simply; steamed or roasted are both yummy! But don’t limit yourself or be intimidated. All I can recommend is to enjoy RIGHT NOW, asparagus is at it’s peak when in season, and this is by far the best way to enjoy. Give all the varieties a try and find your favorite way to prepare this super-food hero!

Here are 10 different ways I like to showcase these tender little nutrient packed spears!

Vegan Cream of Asparagus Soup

1 bunch of Asparagus (great for Asparagus that has gone a touch limp and for the less than tender, often woody stalks!)

1 cup Vegetable stock

2-3 cup Almond milk

pinch of Cumin

pinch of Chili flake

plenty of Sea salt

freshly Ground white pepper

juice of one Lemon

In a medium soup pot heat coconut oil over medium high heat. Roughly chop your onion, garlic and asparagus and add to pot. Salt and sauté for a few minutes and add tock. Let simmer for 15 minutes. Pour into blender, add almond milk and seasonings blend until very smooth, streaming in water as needed. Stir in lemon last and adjust seasoning if needed.

Steamed With Mustard Sauce

For sauce:

Start with your Veganaise in a medium mixing bow, and whisk out any lumps. Whisk in the rest of the ingredients and adjust seasoning to taste. Set aside. Fit a medium sized pot with a steam basket and lid that fits snuggly. Be sure to have a good inch of water in the bottom. Bring the pot up to simmering to produce steam. Place cleaned and trimmed asparagus in your steamer (try purple for this recipe!). Steam for 1 minute or until just tender. Immediately remove from steamer and scatter on clean towel to finish steaming on their own and to dry. Plate and drizzle a lot of mustard sauce over asparagus, or dip!

Fish And Asparagus En Papillote

(in parchment)

About 6 oz of preferred White fish or salmon

About 10 stalks of cleaned and trimmed Asparagus

Olive oil

White wine

Walt

1 slice of Lemon

1 sprig of fresh Thyme

parchment paper

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

Lay a 1 ft. x 1ft. square of parchment down on your work surface. Work from the point of view that your parchment square is a diamond shape. Lay your asparagus down as a bed for your fish, in the bottom half of the diamond. Drizzle with a little olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and a splash of white wine. Lay your fish on top of the seasoned asparagus, drizzle with a bit more olive oil, healthy sprinkle of salt , lemon slice and thyme. Fold the top have of your diamond over the fish to create a triangle. Pinch and roll the edges tightly and your ‘papilote’ puffed in the middle, so air may circulate and steam the contents. Place papilote on sheet pan and bake for 15 minutes.

Asparagus Tapenade

Great as a dip, sandwich spread or for a crostini or fish topper!

1 bunch of blanched Asparagus

2 Tbsp Sunflowers seeds

2 cloves of Garlic

juice of 1 Lemon

juice of half an Orange

big pinch of Chili flake

a couple of pinches of Sea salt

¼ cup of Olive oil

Add all ingredients, but the olive oil, to a food processor and pulse while streaming in the oil. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Frittata With Asparagus And Goat Cheese

2 Tbsp Butter

¼ Yellow onion, sauteed sliced

about 10 spears of Asparagus, clean and trimmed and cut on a bias

4 Eggs

Goat cheese

Sea salt

freshly Ground pepper

fresh Thyme or basil

Lemon zest

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a small to medium sized and oven safe skillet. Sautee onion in butter, with a pinch of salt for 10 minutes, or until slightly caramelized. Add asparagus and sautee for another two minutes more salt, (it is always important to season as you go). Whisk your eggs in a bowl with a pinch of salt and pour over the onions and asparagus. Turn off heat and place the pan in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes then dot the top of your frittata with goat cheese, bake for another 10 minutes. Pull from oven when the egg has just set. Top with lemon zest, fresh and torn herbs and black pepper.

Shaved Asparagus With Parmesan And Pine Nuts

Using a vegetable peeler, make long ribbons from your asparagus. Do the same with your parmesan cheese. Place in a salad bowl and squeeze lemon, drizzle olive oil and plenty of salt and pepper. Toss in fresh basil and pine nuts. Enjoy!

Quick Asparagus Barley Risotto

This is a very unfussy way to make a yummy version of an upscale classic risotto!